Italy’s Renzi withdraws from ruling coalition, sparks political crisis

Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has withdrawn his party from the ruling coalition, risking the collapse of the government and thrusting the country into political chaos in the midst of a surging coronavirus pandemic.

Renzi announced the resignation of two cabinet ministers and a junior minister from his Italia Viva Party in a news conference on Wednesday, effectively stripping Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s government of a parliament majority.

Tensions between the two had been rising for weeks over the handling of the coronavirus outbreak, which has so far claimed more than 80,000 lives in Italy.

The former premier had long threatened to quit the government following disagreements with Conte’s plans over how to spend billions of euros promised by the European Union to relaunch the economy amid the coronavirus crisis.

Renzi said on Wednesday that solving the crisis was “up to the prime minister,” but he would still support the government on help for businesses and measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

“We are ready for all kinds of discussions. Being responsible is about facing up to problems, not hiding them,” Renzi, who governed Italy from 2014 to 2016, told reporters at the presser.

“Italia Viva didn’t provoke the political crisis,” he added, putting the blame on the failure of Conte’s methods to deal with the health emergency. “We won’t allow anyone to have full powers.”

Italy ramps up coronavirus restrictions in Florence

In Florence, bars offered takeaway croissants and coffee for breakfast.

Earlier on Wednesday, Conte visited President Sergio Mattarella and discussed ways to resolve the crisis and save the government from the political impasse.

“For sure, the country would definitely not understand a crisis… people are asking us to go on, in such a complex, difficult situation,” Conte warned.

The Italian prime minister also urged Renzi to keep his party in the ruling coalition, stressing that government unity could be restored if there was goodwill from all sides.

Mattarella has said that if the current government collapses, he may pull the plug on the legislature and trigger early elections rather than risk an alternative coalition with fragile support in parliament.

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